Quinta Do Noval Port Colheita Tawny Vintage 2007 750ml

The 2007 Colheita Tawny Port is a typical field blend of grapes like Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz, bottled on March 2, 2021, with 120 grams of sugar, 21% alcohol and a long cork. Dark and stern, this young Colheita shows off more treacle and molasses than I would typically expect at this young age. It seems older than the vintage date suggests, which is not necessarily a bad thing for a young Colheita, and it also seems so rich that it is almost syrupy early on. Then it adds plenty of power. This is not the easiest or friendliest young Colheita, but it certainly has plenty of “wow” factor in terms of power, ripeness, concentration and complexity. A “wow” factor isn’t always the final answer, though, and I’m not sure its balance will meet expectations. It sure isn’t your typical young Colheita. Plus, the price here is rather high for a young Colheita. Whether you think this exceeds or thwarts your expectations might be a matter of taste in the long run. It’s certainly very good in its big style and sometimes more than that, but at $90, perhaps it also needs to be unequivocally sensational.